The lightning in the machine represents different truths, mostly truth by feeling. The beams fluctuate representing that no two truths are the exactly same. However no matter who touches it, the result is the same and two people can create the same result at the same time. When you touch the ball with a finger the lightning brightens representing an experience of truth by feeling. (chills) The moment you take your finger off the lightning goes back to normal, representing that truth by feeling is fleeting. A longer lasting truth or a truth that affects you more (love) is represented by putting your entire hand on the sides of the ball, creating a stronger lightning beam. If your hand is on top of the of the ball there is only one solid beam representing a sort of "Nirvana" or complete experience of truth by feeling. Nothing else can interfere with the your truths if your hand is at the top.
The way this represents truth is very much like Hegel's idea of world spirit. One touch, or a fleeting moment of truth is like subjective spirit, world spirit becomes conscious of itself in the individual. Two people touching the lightning ball at the same time is like objective spirit in which world spirit reaches a higher consciousness in the interaction between people. The longer lasting truth, with your hand on the side of the ball, is like absolute spirit: the highest form of self-realization, usually through art, religion, and philosophy. This last part of world spirit is most relevant to my project. Religion, philosophy, and especially art produce the same type of feelings in different people and usually last the longest. These are usually the most profound instances of truth and ones that remain longer in our memories.
The final instance of truth created by the ball, a Nirvana-ish, is something that I believe to be rarely possible. As long as you're touching the ball, no one else can interfere with your experience, very much like the Buddhist idea of Nirvana, the perfect peace of the state of mind that is free from craving, anger and other afflictive states. I'm not quite sure how attainable this state is in our society, but it requires a lot of endurance. On the ball it is endurance of the heat created by the electricity.
The way this represents truth is very much like Hegel's idea of world spirit. One touch, or a fleeting moment of truth is like subjective spirit, world spirit becomes conscious of itself in the individual. Two people touching the lightning ball at the same time is like objective spirit in which world spirit reaches a higher consciousness in the interaction between people. The longer lasting truth, with your hand on the side of the ball, is like absolute spirit: the highest form of self-realization, usually through art, religion, and philosophy. This last part of world spirit is most relevant to my project. Religion, philosophy, and especially art produce the same type of feelings in different people and usually last the longest. These are usually the most profound instances of truth and ones that remain longer in our memories.
The final instance of truth created by the ball, a Nirvana-ish, is something that I believe to be rarely possible. As long as you're touching the ball, no one else can interfere with your experience, very much like the Buddhist idea of Nirvana, the perfect peace of the state of mind that is free from craving, anger and other afflictive states. I'm not quite sure how attainable this state is in our society, but it requires a lot of endurance. On the ball it is endurance of the heat created by the electricity.